Automatic train-controlling system.



II'. II-ILL. `AUOMATIC TRAIN CONTROLLING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. II, I'9Io.

. PI'IIGIIIQII m18, 19%.

2 SHEETS-SHEET LISJIZIQIQ,

. ApplicationledMarch11; 1910. Seria1No548,525.

N TED STWENT orme/E.

ERNEST EowLANiJ` HILL, oEEAS'r ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, AssieNorv To THE WEST- v INGHoUsE AIE :BRAKE COMPANY, OEPITTSBU'EGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A coEPoRA- TION OF PIENNSYINANIAi.'yy`

To all 'whom tl may concern HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, county of Essex,`land State of New Jersey, have invented certain new. and useful Improvementsin Automatic Train-Controlling Systems,.of which the fol-` lowing is a full, clear, and-exact description'.v

This invention relates to automatic train .stops for-bringing -a car vor train to a stop,

or reducing the speed thereof upon runningv past a signalA Setat, danger, and'more particularly to that type of thesedevicesin whllch a car or vehicle of the train is provided with a, depending arm or lever 4operatively con-- nected with the train control system, such as they automatic, air brakes, and adapted to co,- operate with tripdevice located along'l the track and connected with the Signal sys-l tem, whereby the controllingarm, or lever may be automatically actuated by-the trackl trip device to cause an application ofthe brakes upon the train. v

The principal object of my invention is to provide an improved device of'thi's character,` which shall be of a simple and durable construction, capable of certain and positive operation, and having means for protecting the depending controlling member 'from snow, ice, or other obstructions along the track, which might otherwise Vinterfere with its proper operation, and ycause many undemovement lof trains.

i It `will'be apparent to those skilled in the art that the scheme thus brieiy outlined can be embodied in a great variety of forms.

The devices which I prefer to employ for the purpose are. illustrated in' theaccompanying drawings, in which# Figure 1 iS a side view of the complete apparatus. Fig. 2 is 'a` section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the trip-device in normal orinoperative position, an F ig. 4is asimilar view showing the trip-device raised and-about to be'engaged' by the valve-guard or plow `on the train. Fig. 5 is a side view showing a` modiication of the preferred embodiment of the invention. y

The valve 3, connected to the train-pipe of thel air-brake system of the train through a suitable part 4, is carried by a frame 5 lever.

AUI'roivrA'rIc '.rEAIN-ooNTEoLLING SYSTEM.

` ratenteaaan. 1e, i916.

I f "I'n'ounted-on'a convenient partnof the, car- Be it known `that I, ERNEST RowLArmy truck, diagrammatically indicated at 6. The

two arms 71` of this frame have their facesv `ribbed or corrugatedto conform to correspondingly ribbed platesS on the truck, and

of the frame, as willbe'readily understood.

The valve-lever"or,a`rm 11by which the valve 'is operated, extends downwardly to-y ward thetrack, indicated at 12, and pivoted' to the frame bytheirupper ends, in' front,

and rear'of` the valve,y areltwo guards or plows 13, 14, also extending Adownwardly toward'the track. It will be noted that thesel guards are Afreetoswing outwardly from the v valve-lever but thatfthe supporting frame itself `serves as a stop to prevent movement of theguards inwardly toward the .valve-` Below fthe actuated by .vor under the control ofthe signaling system through the instru'mentalit'y of anyconvenient and suitable means, not shown, and mounted rigidly on vthe shaft is an arm 16.` Pivote'd on the end of the arzn is a trip-member 17 comprising two angularly-spaced arms 18, 19,v and an intermediate longer arm 20, provided with acam head 21. The trip-member is `normally held with the setting arm 20 in alinement withfthe carry ing arm 16 by means of a spring 22, the ends of which abut against two stops 23, 24 onithe carrying arm, and two stops 25, 26 on the trip member. Pivotal movementof the tripmember is thus permitted by the yielding of the spring; but such movement is limited by two lugs 27, 28, arrangedto'vengage an arc- Shaped stop 29 on thearm 16, as will be readily understood.

` The position of the trip-device when the signalahead is clear is below the path of the Lguard members 13,14, as shown in Fig. 3. but when the signal changes, say to dangerf the trip device is raisedto its vertical yposition, in which the cam head of the setting arm 2O extends into the path of the guard or plow 13,y as shown inlig.l 4. The guard, incapable ofrearward movement, therefore advances the setting arm, turning the tripico' member. on its pivot and bring the arm 19 up behind the guard and `into the path of the track vis a transverse ,shaftv 15,

bottom of the guard, against which the head 21- bears, preventing return movement of the trip member under the inluence'of its spring l,

- 22. 4,Thevalve-lever l1 nowengages'the ac vtu'atingarm..19,- which can yield slightly,`v thus cushioning the blow',until the'stops`28.

and 2Q come intofengagement. `The'valve lever, thus'aetua'ted, opens, the valve, where# upon the air escapes from the train pipe and the brakes are applied. As. the train-moves on the trip member is returned to its vertical position by the spring 22'leaving the lsetting z thej'position .of Fig.` 3,. When the train is-'moving in the opposite o direction or the car is reversed the' guard 14:

army 2O in the path of the rear guard or plow 14:, which latter, however, swings to therear and hence clears the arm. The entire trip device now remains in its raised position until the signal changes backto clear, whereupon the device is depressed againto 'f aetuates the arm 2O to s et the'trip device, 'and the arm lloperates the valve, as will be `1 8, 19, 20 are considerably wider than the' readily seen.

` It will be noted that the top of the arms guards 13, 14, and the valve lever 11.v This makes it easier to properly locate the apparatus, avoiding the necessity Aof suchex-v` treme care 1n arrangmg the parts to insure' ltheir being in the same vertical plane.

In the 'modificationVA shown in Fig. 5 4the 'trip-device has a single arm 30, which is engaged'and advanced by the guard or plow 13a untilcleared by the latter, after which the trip-arm is restored to vertical positiony vby its spring. guard isl located suiii'cientlyl in advance of. the valve-lever to give enough time for the In this construction vthe trip-arm to' rise before its position is reached by the valve-lever when the train is`run ning at full speed. It will b'e understood, of course, that the trip-arm spring is suficiently powerful to insure operation" of the valve. ,The other guard member, 14a, becomes effective when the train is running in the opposite direction or the car reversed.

In both constructions .the guard member` l or plow which happens to bein front, -with in other forms vwithout departure from its'- proper spirit and scope. l

I claim: V l'. In an automatic train control'system,

thecombinatio'n of a train controlling member carried bythe train, guards also carried by the train in front and in rearof said member toclear obstructions jfrom'its path,

. l 1,168,4e a

and a track ltrip device provided with` a' movably mounted member havmg an arm adapted to be defiected by one of'A the guards, and another arma'c'tuatedby the movement of the first arm, forengagingjthe train con.- trolling member. v l

2. In an automatic `'train control system,

bythe train 4in front and rear of said. 'meme ber to clear obstructions from its path, and a Athe-combination of a train controlling meme l ber Acarried by the train, guards alsoCarr-leds pivotally mounted trip device adjacent to" the trackfand provided with an arm adapted to be projected-into the ypath of=one of said 4guards for actuation thereby, fand valso `having meansadapted to'be projected into thefpath ofsaid train" controlling member by the movement of said arm.

v 3. In an automatic tram control. system,

the combination of 'a'train controlling mem-v ber carried 'by the train, lguards'pivotally mountedin frontand rear'of. said member, f'

whereby one member, according to the direction of travel ofthe train,-and a, track trip device provided ywith, a movably mountedvfmember' having an arm adapted tolbe deflected by one ofthe guards, and' another arm actuated yby the movement of the first 'arm for -engaging the train controlling member..

ard or the other serves te clear obstructions fromthe path of "said 4. In an automatic train-control system,

in combination, a train-controlling member carried by the train, guards pivoted in front and rear of said member, andv incapablegof vmovement toward the latter, -a setting arm adjacent to the track andadapt'ed to be projected into the path of the' guards for actuation by one or the other thereof accordingv to the direction foithe trains travel, and a pair'l of arms operatively connected with said setting-arm in front and rear thereof ,whereby one or the other, according to the directionl of. thetrains travel, will be 'p rojectedl into the path of the train-controlling member by the actuation of the setting arm. 5l In an Vautomatic train control system,

the rcombination 'with` a train-controlling member carried by the train, and guards..

also carriedby the train in front and rear of said member to clear obstructions from the pathk of said'member, of a track tripdevice having a movably mounted member I i adapted to be deflected by' the guard and operate ythe train controlling'member, and

a yielding means for returning said member;

to normal position;`

6. In an V,automatic train control system,

the combination with a train controlling* member carried bythe train, and ai guard carried' by the train for clearing obstructions from the y'path of said member, 'said A guard being movably mounted to be de- -flected in one direction, 0f a track trip device having a movably mounted member adapted to be deflected bythe guard and engage the train controlling member.

7. In an automatictrain control system, the combination of a shaft, a carrying arm mounted on said shaft, atrip device pivotally mounted on said carrying arm and comprising a setting arm, a trip arm in arm, and va yielding spring mechanism per- Y In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature 15 in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. ERNEST ROWLAND HILL. Witnesses:

W. L. MURRAY, S. S.' DUNHAM'. 

